Electric dumb-bell



May 4 1926.

V. SENCE ELECTRIC DUMB BELL Filed May 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR for J/Iae ATTORNEY May 4 1926. 1 1,583,261

V. SENCE ELECTRIC DUMB BELL I Filed May 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J2 I'r INVENTOR /{c for '522/742:

ATTORN EY BY L Patented May 4, 1925.

FFECE.

VICTOR SENCE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC DUMB-BELL.

Application filed May 15, 1925.

T0 aZZ 107mm it may concern Be it known that I, VICTOR Series, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New York city, borough of Manhat tan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve roents in Electric Dumb-Bells, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to exercising apparatus which is capable of generating an electric current which will pass through the body of the user so that he will get the combined beneficial result of the physical exercise and of the stimulation resulting from the passage of the current. To this end it comprises a pair of objects such as a pair 01": dumb-bells which can be grasped one in each hand by the user while pertormlng any desired series of calisthenic exercises, an electric generator in one of said dumb-bells or similar articles, which can be operated by the user while exercising, and electric connections from the poles of that generator to the hands of the user grasping the dumb bells so that the current generated may in clude the arms and body of the user as a part of its circuit.

The best form of apparatus at present known to me embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of dumb-bells with the connecting electric wire broken away.

Fig. 2 is a face view of one end of that half of one of the dumb-bells carrying the electric current generating mechanism with the cover section removed to show the generator and part of the base plate broken away to show the ratchet driving mechanism, part of the insulating sheet also being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a similar view with the base plate removed to show the driving gearing carried on the rear side of said plate, the section being taken on line 33 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a partial section of the same end of the dumb-bell showing the said mecha nism in side elevation, and

Fig. 5 is a diagram of the electrical cir cuits.

Serial No. 80,510.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts.

1 represents a wooden dumb-bell, the lower end oi." which is made hollow and has a removable cover section l" forming the cavity for containing an electrical generator and mechanism for operating the same. 2 is a similar wooden dumb-bell forming a pair "ith l, but without the hollow end and removable cover therefor. 3 is a strip of conducting material carried by dumb-bell 1 in a position such that the hand of the user will rest upon it, which strip is in electrical contact with the base plate 14, carrying the genorator mechanism, or with the sector lever 29, or with both. 4 is a similar strip on dumb-bell 2, having electrical connection to one end of wire 5, the other end of which is connected by wire 6 to the bifurcated brush 7 of the electric generator. 36 is av cut-out sheet of fibre or other electrically insulating material placed under cover section 1 lVhile various forms of electric generators may be used I have one which consists of permanently magnetized field magnet 13, and armature core 11, provided with coils 12 wound thereon, said armature being carried by the revolving shaft 10 on which the contact ring 8, insulated from the shaft by sleeve 8 which is made of fibre or other non-conducting material. Said shattalso has radial metal projections 9 which are insulated from 8 by flange 8" 0t fibre or similar material. Cue end 11 of the armature coil 12 is connected to the generator shaft 10 as indicated in the diagram, Fig. 5, either directly or through the core 11, and the other end l2 of said coils is connected to ring 8 as also shown in Fig. The contact brush T has two branches 7 and 7", the first of which rests continuously on the ring 8, and the second of which makes intermittent contact with the projections 9 from the shaft 10 when the armature is revolved.

T he electrical operation of the device above described is obviously as follows: Assuming that a person holds the dumb-bell l in one hand and the dumb-bell 2 in the other hand with his hands in contact with the conducting strips 3 and at respectively, the circuit through his body, and the generator to shaft 10 and fron'i this shaft through base plate 1% or sector lever 29 and strip 3 to the other hand. If the armature of the generator is rotated, however, every time a projection 9 touches branch 7" of the bifurcated brush 7 the armature coils are short circuited. lhe result then is that when the armature coils are so short circuited little or no current passes rough the body of the user, but the moment the short circuit is broken by projection 9 breaking contact from brush section 7, the normal current be ing generated in the arn'iature coils, plus the momentarily much more powerful current produced by the counter BlQCtTOlDOUVG force released on the breaking of the short circuit, produce a decided shock in passing through the users body.

Any convenient train of mechanisi'n by which the thumb or a finger of the hand grasping dumb-bell 1 may drive the electric generator may be employed. In the form shown in the drawings tnere is a pinion 20 on armature shaft 10, meshing with gear 21 on stud shaft 22, said. gear being rigidly connected to pinion 23 which meshes with gear 2 on ratchet stud shaft 25, said gear 24 carrying a spring pawl 27 which meshes with ratchet wheel 26. Ratchet wheel 26 rotates freely on stud shaft and carries pinion 28 rigidly connected to it. This pinion 28 meshes with the teeth on pivot sector lever 29, pivoted to the base plate 1d at 30, and having the loop or handle 31 at its other end which projects beyond the dumb-bell shell in a. position to be conveniently grasped by the thumb or forefinger of the hand held ing dumb-bell 1. Any convenient form of coil spring is shown at 32 tending to rotate sector lever 29 in a clockwise direction (looking at Fig. 3) so that the handle 31 will be retracted after the pressure of the thumb or finger thereon is relieved. 33, Fig. 3, is a cut-out space in lever 29 to permit it to straddle stud shaft 22, and 34. is similar cut out space to enable it to straddle generator shaft 10.

In operation the user, holding the dumbbells, places his-thumb or forefinger in the loop 31 and intermittently pulls the outer end of lever 29 toward the axis of the dam bell, thereby rotating sad lever on its axis 30 in a counter clockwise direction, (looking at Fig. 3), driving ratchet wheel 26 in a clockwise direction so that its motion is transmitted by pawl 27 to gear 21 and such motion, greatly increased in velocity, is subsequently transmitted by he train of gearing described to the generator shaft 10. When pressure on loop 31 is released spring 32 rotates lever 29 and ratchet wheel 26 in the reverse directions, the ratchet wheel sliding under the pawl 27, and not interfering with the continued spinning of the generator armature. As a result continuous rotation of the generator armature at high speed can be ensured and the current thereby generated passed intermittently through the users body as hereinbefore described.

Obviously other handoperated driving mechanism for the generator could be substituted for that described and other forms of electric generator could be used without departing from the principle of my invention, so long as some form of electric current generator capable of being actuated by the user of the dumbbells, or their equivalents, is employed to generate a current which is transmitted through a circuit in which the body of the user is included during the use of the apparatus for exercising purposes.

The particular form of current generator and driving gear therefor herein shown and described has, however, certain novel features which particularly adapt it for use in the combination here claimed. Locating the generator on one side of base plate 1% and he driving gear on the other side thereof (as best sho vn in Fig. i) enables me to divide the cavity necessarily formed in the dumb bell into two parts, one in each of the two sections 1, and 1" thereof, and so keep the size of the dumb-bell down to standard di mensions. lhis also enables me to locate sector lever 29 close to the medial plane of the dumbbell so that the handle 31 is in a convenient position to be reached by the operators thumb.

Also the formation of the grooved contact ring 8 with the flange 8 of insulating material separating it from projections 9 which form. the other terminal of the generator circuit, prevents either of the contact brush branches '1 or 7 from so twisting under changes of temperature or from loosened fastenings as to permanently short circuit the generator, or permanently open its circuit. 1

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In an electric dumb-bell having an internal cavity in one end portion diviced by substantially central plane separating that end portion into two sections, the combination, with said dumb-bell, of an electric generator, a ratchet driving gearing therefor and a common bed plate for the two, adapted to be clamped between said dumb-hell sections, said generator being mounted on one side of said plate, said gearing being mounted on the other side, and the armature shaft of the generator extending through said plate to said gearing.

2. In a device of the kind described having an alternating current electric generator, the combination in said generator, of an armature coil, an armature shaft connected jections, and a pair of contact fingers, one

to one end of said coil, contact projections of Which bears on the grooved portion of from said shaft, a grooved contact ring said ring and the other of Which is adapted 10 mounted on, but insulated from, said shaft, to make intermittent contact with said shaft and connected to the other end of said arprojections.

mature coil, a flange of insulating material separating said ring from said shaft pro- VICTOR SENCE. 

